"Very early in the life of every youth there will be.....
the question of how far he ought to sell his soul for
the sake of his life."
____ John Cowper Powys, "The Meaning of Culture"
How can we be true to our vocation in situations that call us to sell our souls? We must remember that there are two criteria in the workplace: we work in order to gain a livelihood, and we work in order to honor our soul's potential. It is becoming rare for workers to be able to meet both criteria. Many people who feel that their talents have been used for unspeakable ends have found more satisfaction in menial work well done than in their chosen profession. But to maintain this kind of professional honor is to take the high moral ground, a stance that may not support a home and family.
For many people, work is a compromise between livelihood and soul's honor. They cannot be without work, but they can search out ethical employers and forms of work that do not exploit their skills without proper return. This return is not only monetary, however; there must also be respect for the work and his rights, and a proper appreciation of the work done. When this return is absent, we feel cheated, short-changed.
When we prostitute our talents to purely exploitative ends, we risk divorcing ourselves from our primal vision. Such a divorce is a separation from the greater reality of which we are a part, and a selling of our souls to those who will wring out every last essential drop of our vocational skills.
"Meditate upon your vocational vision, even if you are not actively performing or fulfilling it at this time. What qualities and features characterize it? How have these been employed, recognized and acknowledged in your life to date? How and why are you dissatisfied with the work you currently do? Are there remedies for the dissatisfaction?"
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
this is so true. The first time I quit a job because I did not agree with its morals, it was a hard thing... Yet when it was all said and done I was glad I done it and did it a second time later on. It is a hard decision and at times just financially impossible yet sometimes you have to realize that money is not necessarily everything.
ReplyDeleteYes, this a very difficult situation to be in and unfortunately so many people are now a days. Sometimes I wonder if there are jobs out there that have any sort of morals to them.
ReplyDeleteSobeit
Yes it's difficult but it depends on how firmly you hold yor principles dear to you.
ReplyDelete